神盾局特工

Employer-sponsored health coverage costs jumped this year. More hikes may be coming_我的网站

A |     The cost of health coverage through work jumped this year, in part because of inflation, according to a survey of U.S. employers.Premiums for both family and single plans climbed 7% after barely rising in 2022, according to a report Wednesday by KFF, a nonprofit that researches health care issues.Later this fall, companies begin their annual coverage enrollment window for 2024, and health care experts say another price hike could be coming.“It’s hard to imagine that there won’t be another year of health care cost increases, at least at the level we’re seeing right now,” said Paul Fronstin, director of health benefits research for the Employee Benefit Research Institute.Employer-sponsored health insurance is the most common form of coverage in the United States. KFF says almost 153 million Americans have it. Companies generally pay most of the premium — 70% or more in many cases.That can soften the impact of price hikes on employees. Coverage costs also are taken out of paychecks before taxes, which helps mitigate the financial pinch workers may feel, noted Fronstin, who was not involved in the KFF study.KFF noted that premiums climbed roughly with wages and inflation. The wider economy has felt those two pressures for more than a year, and now they are starting to affect health care costs, said Gary Claxton, a senior vice president with KFF. He noted that there can be a delay because health care contracts can keep costs stable after prices start rising in other parts of the economy.Fronstin said health care provider consolidation also can drive up care costs, which ultimately affects premiums. He also thinks the U.S. health care system — with its limited capacity to treat people — is still catching up on providing care that was delayed during the COVID-19 pandemic.“There’s only so much room for catch up,” he said. “I don’t believe colonoscopy centers are running 24/7 to catch up.”___The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.。    “So I felt a sharp pain—pressure in my hand as I’m treading water and I pull it towards me and I realize something’s kind of attached to it. So I start hammer punching down and I connected with the animal—the shark—three times. And on the third time, the whole shark flipped the other way and swam out to sea,” said Gallo, who has been a lifeguard for 10 years.,Gallo was playing victim in an ocean training exercise when he was attacked by what is thought to be a 4 to 5 foot long shark off Smith Point Beach.,“And it was that moment where I realized that we were dealing with a shark here and I yelled at the other guards that were in the water, you know, ‘Swim to shore, swim to shore,’ and then swam as fast as I could to shore,” recounted Gallo, who was able to walk away from the encounter and sustained only minor injuries on his right hand and the right side of his chest.,Suffolk County Park officials announced that they would be closing Smith Point and Cupsogue beaches following the attack on Sunday, citing “dangerous marine activity” as the cause.,Two Women Killed in Shark Attack Off Egypt's Red Sea Coast – Ministry of Environment3 July, 20:36 GMT,Officials first ramped up patrol of the Atlantic shore using drones, jet skis, boats and helicopters after a fisherman spotted a 10 foot mako shark near Point Lookout—which is located just 54.5 miles from Smith Point—during Memorial Day weekend.,The type of shark that attacked Gallo has not been disclosed but marine biologists believe waters off Long Island could be acting as a nursery for immature (baby) Great White sharks due to an abundance of bait fish in that area. Warmer waters due to climate change are also drawing hammerheads and bull sharks, too.,“I ripped back and just started hammer-punching, and I felt the rubber texture of the head. It felt like the size of a basketball,” said Gallo of the attack.,On Thursday, a 37-year-old was swimming off of Jones Beach when he sustained a “laceration to his right foot,” according to Nassau County Police, which authorities speculate was a possible shark bite.,On Monday, Smith Point and Cupsogue beaches reopened at 10 a.m., just in time for Fourth of July celebrations, with continued monitoring of the shoreline. The attack on Sunday at Smith Point was the first reported incident of its kind since the beach first opened in 1959.,“I’m grateful that it was a minor injury. It could have been a lot worse, and I’m just very grateful that I walked out of the water on my own. I’m grateful that I received EMT services right away. I’m grateful that I work at a beach with the best lifeguards in the world," said Caitlin Murray who is Gallo's wife. She told the New York Post she didn't believe what had happened to her husband, and at first, believed it was a joke.,“I’m just proud he had the strength to tell everyone to get out, too. I’m so glad he walked away with a scratch, but he’s the best guard to pick on because he’s the biggest dude on the beach. I’m very proud," she added.。

Current article:http://tqv.gaxuexiazengpian.pics/9mse1z/5xcyiz.html

Published on:03:23:16